1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to footwear and more especially to an improved cover of a variable size particularly suited for use in hospitals, research facilities, gymnasiums, restaurants, aircraft and other environments in which a use of ordinary street shoes is impossible, impractical or is to be avoided, and disposability of soiled and/or contaminated footwear is desirable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art, of course, is replete with shoes adapted to be adjusted in size for various purposes. For example, attention is invited to U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,075 which issued Oct. 2, 1973 to Dorothy G. Munschy as well as to prior art reference patents cited during the prosecution of the application upon which the Munschy patent issued.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,075, there is a relatively large number of circumstances under which it is desirable to provide covering for feet, other than street shoes. Additionally, in orthopedics and pediatry and the like, as well as in other medical fields, it often is necessary to provide a protective, short term wear cover for bandages employed in swathing feet following injury, surgery and the like.
While the disposable shoe disclosed and claimed in the aforementioned U.S. patent to Munschy generally fulfills the requirements for which it was intended, it can be appreciated that even a further increase in simplicity is desirable. For example, the sizing of the patented disposable shoe requires manipulation of flaps along appropriate fold lines and such may, in some instances, be found objectionable to a wearer, particularly in instances where a wearer is in a generally debilitated condition such as a hospital patient following surgery and the like, and/or where time available to be devoted to such matters is likely to be limited, such as, for example, in research facilities.
It is therefore the general purpose of the instant invention to provide improved footwear which tends to overcome the aforementioned difficulties and disadvantages which attend a use of foot covers of the prior art.